CLEVELAND, Ohio – The news tends to move rather quickly
on Cleveland.com.
Here are some stories from the past 12 hours you might have missed, including the
release of a previously-concealed armed robbery report, the impending arrival
of bitter cold temperatures and a full preview of tonight's Orange Bowl between
Ohio State and Clemson.

Police release report they tried to conceal

This is the Cleveland Heights police blotter, redacted by Deputy Chief Brad Sudyk on Dec. 18 while a reporter reviewed the information. The city denied access to the report after it was requested.Adam Ferrise, NEOMG

Cleveland Heights police took 16 days to make
public a incident report about an armed robbery they had tried to conceal, and
did so only after an attorney representing Northeast Ohio Media Group
complained to one of the city's assistant law directors.

At a Dec. 20 meeting, attorney David
Marburger, regarded as an expert on Ohio's open records laws, presented
Assistant Law Director Jim Juliano with decisions in which the Ohio Supreme Court
had ruled that incident reports are to be made immediately available to the
public.

Juliano checked with the police department
and told Marburger that two of five reports requested that day were completed
and could be provided, along with a related 9-1-1 call. But after the meeting,
the police department again failed to provide the reports, releasing only a CD
with the recording of a 9-1-1 call.

The department, which has a history of hiding
crimes from the public, released the report on the Dec. 18 armed robbery of a
high school student on Thursday, but redacted the name of the teen who was
eventually arrested in connection with that case and in a Dec. 7 robbery. | Read
Adam Ferrise's story

From left to right, Olmsted Falls Mayor Robert Blomquist, Clerk of Council Angela Mancini, Council Pro Tempore Kitty Fenderbosch, and Council at Large and Mayor Elect Ann Marie Donegan, attending an Olmsted Falls City Council meeting. Plain Dealer file photo

Suburbs across Cuyahoga County regularly
thwart laws designed to give residents time to weigh in on government proposals
before they become law, a Northeast Ohio Media Group survey has found.

State law says that city councils should
consider legislation at three meetings before voting, to allow taxpayers time
to speak up. But the law also gives council members the option to bypass the
second and third readings by suspending the rules – something local councils do
regularly. Many ordinances are introduced and passed in a single meeting.

In seven suburbs surveyed
by NEOMG (pdf), council members suspended the rules for 87 percent of the
ordinances they passed between April and June last year. Most had only one
public airing before they became law.

Public officials defend the policy as efficient, saying they
need to act quickly to apply for grants and lock in low prices on supplies. In
some communities, residents rarely attend meetings anyway, officials reason,
and anyone interested can see proposed legislation online and contact council
members with comments. |
Read
Barb Galbincea's story

Amherst woman files class action suit against Target

Target Stores, the second-largest discount chain in the country, were the victims of a credit card breach that may have provided thieves with an estimated 40 million card numbers.Associated Press file photo

An Amherst woman filed a federal class action
lawsuit against the Target Stores discount chain this week after her credit
card information was stolen by hackers and her bank account was drained.

Michelle Mannion, 45, says she was among an
estimated 40 million customers whose credit card information was obtained
illegally from Nov. 27 to Dec. 15. Mannion said she shopped at the Amherst
Target store on Dec. 4 and 5.

According to statements on the company's
corporate web site, the high-tech thieves installed malware in the machines
customers use to swipe their credit cards when purchasing merchandise at Target
stores.

"The malware was discovered on our
point-of-sale systems in our U.S. stores on December 15," the company said in a
prepared release. "At that time, we disabled the malicious code and immediately
began notifying our card processors and the payment card networks.

But according to Mannion's class action
lawsuit, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court, Target didn't act quickly enough
to prevent millions of dollars in losses. | Read
James F. McCarty's story

Two of the nation's most prolific offenses
will be on display tonight when seventh-ranked Ohio State and No. 12 Clemson
square off in the Orange Bowl. Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m., and the game will
be shown on ESPN.

Playing for the national title was the goal
from the start for Ohio State (12-1) but a 34-24 loss to Michigan State on Dec.
7 dashed those dreams. Clemson (10-2) also had national title aspirations and
were ranked No. 3 heading into a home matchup with Florida State on Oct. 19,
but were whipped 51-14.

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